In a radiology system, a series of related images are typically obtained using a scanning device, such as a Computed Tomography scanner (CT) or Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanner. A hard copy (film) of each image of the series is then manually placed on a light box commonly referred to as an alternator. (In many instances a series may contain 80 images.) A radiologist then quickly studies the images selecting individual ones thereof for further study. The film bearing the selected images are then manually grouped together on the alternator.
Some of the manual aspects of studying images have been automated to increase a radiologist's efficiency. For example, so-called medical picture archiving and communication (PAC) systems (also referred to as Teleradiology systems) have been developed to electronically "grab" each image of a series of images scanned by a CT or MRI scanner and store a digital copy thereof in memory. Thereafter, a radiologist positioned at a workstation may cause ones, but not all, of the stored series of images to be displayed on respective display units. The radiologist may thereafter cause the remaining images of the series to be displayed in place of those already displayed on the display units.
To date, a number of the radiologists who use a PAC system in place of the manual alternator arrangement indicate that their efficiency has actually decreased. The reason for this is that PAC systems do not have the capability to display all of the images of a series across a small number of display units. In addition, such PAC systems do not allow a radiologist to select individual ones of the displayed images and have them redisplayed as a group of images, as is done in the instance where a radiologist uses an alternator.